The Doctor Wee-Woo Show at Open Eye Theatre

An Alleged Theatre Company Production The Doctor Wee-Woo Show opened Friday at Open Eye Theatre for a two week run. A show filled with humor, puppets, and lessons about moving on and following your dreams. I was invested in the characters in a way I hadn’t expected. The show is written by the co Artistic Directors of the company Jake Mierva & Danylo Loutchko and appears to be a children’s show called The Doctor Wee-Woo Show. Everything goes along and slowly a few little things happen that seem kind of not quite right for a kids show. Once the program ends more is revealed through Dr. Wee-Woo’s interaction with his creations: Sedrick the Sasquatch, Mailbag, Mrs. Apple Tree, Rob the Blob, and Broom & Dustpan. Sedrick is Doctor Wee-Woo’s primary co-star on the show and as we transition from the children’s show to behind the scenes, the roles begin to reverse between Sedrick and the Doctor. In the beginning Wee-Woo is guiding Sedrick through the resolution of a problem, by the end it’s clear that Sedrick is trying to lead Wee-Woo towards a new beginning. The script is clever in the way it creates tropes that seem familiar for a kids show and then goes to some darker and more adult places with them. At the heart is a really interesting relationship between Doctor Wee-Woo and Sedrick, which becomes almost like a patient and therapist dynamic. Praise has to go out right from the start for the puppets created by Robert McGrady with consultation from Yvonne Freese and the set and props designed by Danylo Loutchko. Thanks to all of their talents the show has an authentic, though slightly off, Children’s show feel.

J. McIntyre Godwin plays Doctor Wee-Woo who is a Doctor of learning (accompanied by a sound effect), physician heal thyself. Godwin does a nice job of putting on the face of a children’s show host, it feels like an actual Show. As the show ends and he prepares to shoot another episode he starts to unravel a little bit. His puppets keep trying to get him to stop making another episode for reason that will become apparent. Goodwin is masterful at Playing the frustration with his puppets at just the right level so we see it, but also recognize the character is trying to control himself and move the show along. The Stages of MN favorite Jeffrey Nolan plays Sedrick the Sasquatch, who is a puppet controlled and voiced by Nolan. Nolan keeps the legend alive with another strong performance, he has a way of getting inside a puppet character unlike anyone I’ve ever seen. Watching the performance one feels like the puppet and the human performances merge and you see it as one single character. Nolans manipulation of the puppet give it a very real presence, while his facial expressions and body language add immeasurably to the character. It was nice to see another fun turn from Thomas M Baun (Pooh Bear in Who’s Afraid of Winnie the Pooh) here he plays Rob the Blob and Dustpan. Dustpan is married to Broom who is played by Sarah Halverson. The simmering resentment between those two inanimate objects feels very real, both Halverson and Buan play it just right, you can almost interchange them with that couple friend of yours that don’t know how to keep their interpersonal issues to themselves around others. The cast is rounded out by Yvonne Freese as Mrs. Apple Tree, she wears a large cardboard tree with a cutout for her face. Even with very little to utilize but her face and voice she does a nice job, both within the children’s show and after when things get a little darker.

The Doctor Wee-Woo Show runs through March 24th at Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://allegedtheatre.com/on-stage/

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The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington Announces a Spectacular Return to Form For Mixed Blood

I don’t even know where to begin. The last show I saw produced by Mixed Blood was Interstate: The Musical, which closed early due to the pandemic but, not before I saw it three times. It’s one of my favorite musicals of all time so I have been anxious to see what they did next. The answer for the last two years has been very little in the way of theater. This isn’t their first full production they did Mariology in the fall but that was really an outside theatre company they brought in. The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington is the first homegrown production and it’s a shining example of what Minnesota’s artistic community is capable of. This is a show I expect to see making my TCTB Awards Nomination list next January, it’s that good. What’s so good? That’s what I was talking about when I said I don’t know where to start. First off, the production design and every technical department that created the visual and aural landscape of this show are endlessly creative. I felt like I was at Open Eye Theatre who are known for their impeccable production designs. Matt Lefebvre scenic design work is impressive on first view as you walk into the theater, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The surprises that lay in store feel like magic when they happen, and far be it of me to give away the magicians secrets. And it isn’t just the set design it’s also Karin Olson’s Lighting, Theo Langason’s Sound design along with the props designed by Kris Schmidt. Don’t even get me started on the costumes, makeup, and wig work of Zamora Simmons. It’s a seven person cast and I’m guessing there are around 30 costumes. That might be an exaggeration, but it also wouldn’t shock me to learn that it’s pretty close to the actual number.

The show opens on Martha Washington the first First Lady of America. George is dead and she’s very sick in bed. She is being cared for by the slaves whom according to George’s will are to be set free upon her death. We see them, their names are Sucky Boy, Priscilla, Doll, Davy, and Ann they pray to God for Martha. From that moment on, hold onto your hat, the program describes what follows as a fever dream which tracks, except Martha dreams about the future, the past, finds herself on a gameshow and ultimately on trial, as promised in the title. The script by James Ijames is a satirical look at the past through the lense of the present day. It demolishes the defense of that’s just how it was in those days, particularly effective is the reveal of what happened between Ann and Martha’s son. If you can still maintain that argument after that scene, then I guess the argument is, that’s just how things were back then and white people had no moral compass. It’s tackling some very real and heavy issues but it never stops entertaining the audience, it’s only after it’s whirlwind 90 minute run time that you have time to stop and process. This is a wildly entertaining play and should be enjoyed and appreciated on those levels, but it’s also important to look at what we are laughing about and why this story is being told in this way.

Pirronne Yousefzadeh directs the play steering the fever dream from scene to scene changing styles and tone on a dime. I haven’t seen this as effectively done since the last time I watched Preston Sturges’ Sullivan’s Travels. The cast is a testament to the talent we have in the Twin Cities acting community, we have some of the best actors in the country and if you don’t believe me, go see The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington at Mixed Blood and you will. Aside from Karen Wiese-Thompson who only plays Martha, which she does brilliantly, the other actors play multiple roles throughout the show. Valencia Proctor who was fantastic in last years Passage at Pillsbury House shows a gift for comedy, I loved her take on the out of touch real housewife of 1802. Tolu Ekisola take on the court bailiff got a laugh every time she swore someone in, her line reading choice is just right. Now these are just moments in a show where they each portray multiple characters, some funny, others a little more on the realistic side, but all pitch perfect in a show where the tone is constantly shifting. The same is true of Darius Dotch and Mikell Sapp who short of act as a comic team in certain scenes. Dotch’s standout is as Lawyer Man, a Defense Attorney for Martha from and in the future. Sapp, is comic gold as George Washington who deflects all blame for slave owning off on Martha, whom he calls a pimp. Monica E. Scott plays Ann, who is Martha’s main caregiver, half-sister, and of course property. She has what is probably the role with the most serious tone throughout, she gets to play along in the fun occasionally but her most memorable moments are when in the fever dream of Martha’s she is still playing Ann but deviant. The cast is rounded out by Domino D’Lorion whose first appearance as William makes an impression. He plays multiple roles but as William, that’s where he really impresses pulling off that nearly impossible task of being a grown person playing a young kid. He really has the body language and uncertainty down, when embodying the character in a version of reality but then a completely impish quality when in full fever dream mode, it feels like Bat-mite has magically appeared in Martha’s bedroom. Neither version comes anywhere close to annoying, which is saying a lot because Bat-mite is always annoying. He plays both versions of William brilliantly.

The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington runs through March 31st at Mixed Blood in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://mixedblood.com/the-most-spectacularly-lamentable-trial-of-miz-martha-washington/ . I’ve talked a lot about the importance of creating new theater audiences. The first trick is to get people into theater seats that don’t ordinarily go to the theater. Mixed Blood has a solution for that they over a program called Radical Hospitality, Tickets are available by donation, if you cannot afford theater tickets you can get them at no cost. If you can afford to spend $30 or $60 on a ticket do so, donations are what make it possible for those without resources to attend theater. The second step in creating a new theater audience is staging something that gives them a feeling that they want to experience again, Mixed Blood has that covered with this show as well. The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington is the kind of show overflowing with creativity that will open a new theatergoer to the possibilities of what theater can be.

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I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

Hairspray is a Blast From the Past and One Hair of a Good Time at the Ordway in St. Paul

Deidre Lang (center) as Motormouth Maybelle Photo by Jeremy Daniel

It was just over a year ago that the Hairspray National tour came through town running at the Orpheum in January 2023. Due to the opening night of this run, at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts this time, being cancelled thus shortening the run, I am reusing some elements from my previous review, particularly the plot synopsis. I had a blast last winter and I had an equally great time this… shall we call it spring? The show packs an important message about acceptance on multiple fronts utilizing the techniques pioneered by Mary Poppins they add some sugar to make the lesson seem like fun. This is such a big hearted show, the ignorant and hateful characters are very blunt, but they are the minority, the majority just don’t seem to see with eyes of hate. Is that realistic for Baltimore in 1962 where and when the musical takes place? No. But the characters also break into song and dance around a lot so I’m guessing it’s meant to be a bit of a fantasy. This is a show that is meant to entertain you with toe tappin’ music, some fabulous footwork, and a whole lot of humor and on those terms it is wildly successful. If they sneak a little reminder in there that it doesn’t matter what we look like on the outside it’s what’s on the inside that counts, well good for them. I can’t think of a simpler or more important message to send out into the world. I just wonder at a world, that needs to be told that.

Hairspray follows Tracy Turnblad who dreams of being one of the dancers on the Corny Collins Show, a local TV program that features kids dancing to the latest pop chart songs. When an opening on the show becomes available, Tracy skips school with her friend Penny in order to audition, against her mother Edna’s wishes. The resident Teen Diva Amber Von Tussle who is the daughter of the shows producer Velma Von Tussle, ridicules Tracy over her weight and she’s refused the chance to audition. Back in school during detention she strikes up a friendship with Seaweed, a black student and son of Motormouth Maybelle who hosts the “Negro Day” on The Corny Collins Show and bond over dance moves. When Corny Collins comes to their high school for the Sophomore Hop, Tracy wows him with the dance moves she’s learned from Seaweed and he awards her a spot on his show. After her first broadcast, not only has she fallen in love with Link Larkin the resident teen heartthrob, and Amber’s boyfriend, but she becomes a local celebrity. Tracy’s dream was to become a dancer on the show but she also wants to integrate the broadcast so that the black and white kids can all dance together. Her success leads her mother to reassess whether or not there’s a place for people of her and Tracy’s size out in the world. They deal with some fairly heavy issues, race, being marginalized due to weight, self esteem, corruption, hell nearly every woman in it winds up behind bars at one point, but they do it with humor and optimism. It’s Tracy’s heart that never stops fighting for what is right that changes everyone around her.

Caroline Eiseman makes a great Tracy, her vocals get drowned out by a slightly off balance sound mix, which did seem to improve as the night progressed. One thing that couldn’t be drowned out were her dance moves and her infectious can do attitude, both of which win over her fellow characters as well as the audience. As Tracy’s mother Edna we have Greg Kalafatas following in the long tradition of the character being played by a man in drag. This dates back to Hairspray’s roots the 1988 John Waters film in which the role was played by the Divine (Harris Glen Milstead) who sadly passed away less than two weeks after that films release. It’s a character full of insecurities who grows in her own confidence as she watches her daughter carry on in the face of ignorance. The character is used for comic relief, but she also contains a lot of what is beautiful about the entire show. A willingness to change and a capacity to love. Kalafatas handles both aspects wonderfully, know when to be funny and knowing when to show a little bit of vulnerability. You may have noticed that the photo I chose doesn’t highlight Tracy, that’s not because she isn’t the focus of the show, she is . But I wanted to highlight Deidre Lang because her performance as Motormouth Maybelle, though supporting, was exceptional. Her rallying of the kids to not give up after their first setback which ends with her song “I Know Where I’ve Been” is a show stopper. Her vocals are simply incredible, and you suddenly wish she had three other solo songs in the show. Another favorite in a show full of great dances, choreographed by Robbie Roby, was Josiah Rogers as Seaweed, that man has some moves. His love interest Penny was also a favorite character thanks to the performance by Scarlett Jacques, whose got fantastic comic timing.

Hairspray runs through March 17th at the Ordway Center For Performing Arts in St Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://ordway.org/events/hairspray/ . Due to the cancellation of the planned opening night performance the remainder of the run has limited availability. I urge you not to wait to get tickets, it could very well sell out.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is Simon Stephens Tony Award winning adaptation of the Mark Haddon Novel. I read the book years ago and have now seen the play three times. The first was the National touring production and it was incredible, with an elaborate production design utilizing a complex combination of projection, lighting and sound to simulate the lead character Christopher’s sensory sensitivity. The two subsequent productions I’ve seen, this latest at Lakeshore Players in White Bear Lake, are working with significantly fewer resources. But, despite the limitations, have found a smaller way to represent the world from Christopher’s perspective. Lakeshore players have found creative ways to compensate for budget limitations and have produced a very successful staging of the play. It’s a great play though it does run a little long a 90 minute first act and 80 minutes second act with one 15 minute intermission.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time tell the story of Christopher a young man on the Autism Spectrum, who in trying to discover the killer of the titular dog. Along the way he discovers not only the solution to the murder but deeper secrets as well. The main mystery though is how he will navigate through the dark secrets he uncovers and if we will be able to take and pass his Math A levels. The play deals with the way Mark Thinks and sees the world, the way in which he interacts with his Father, his teachers, friends, strangers, and police. It is at times heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting and positive. When the book first came out Christopher was described as having Asperger Syndrome, a diagnosis now classified as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The play holds a certain extra connection for me as my oldest son Alex was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome when he was young. With both of my songs carrying the ASD diagnosis it is a subject I know something about. The main thing to remember, as they point pout in a pre-show announcement, everyone with this diagnosis is, like everyone on the planet, unique. Christopher’s strengths and weaknesses do not represent those of everyone with ASD. Christopher uniqueness is the lense through which we view this specific story of a broken family. It is a way for those of us in the audience to, not exactly see what the world is like for someone who is on the spectrum, but to see the ways in which the world itself is ableist. Once we have gotten to understand Christopher, seeing the ways he is treated by the police and other people he encounters out in the world, is heartbreaking.

Jackson Hoemann gives a strong performance as Christopher, understanding that the character is not without emotion, but that he processes information through a set of often rigid rules. He seems to grasp that while the world is made up of shades of gray, that for Christopher it’s almost as if he is color blind and he cannot interpret shades but only sees the world in black and white. Katie Rowles-Perich is particularly strong as Christopher’s teacher Siobhan who’s helps to facilitate the major change from the book to the play, which is that the story is presented as a sort of play within a play. Riley Peltz and Bill Stevens are two of the ensemble actors who did especially nice work with a variety of characters. Of note on the technical production side of things is the work of Scenic Designer Brady Whitcomb. Whitcomb’s plethora of Tetris shaped set pieces that are constantly in movement reconfiguring and interlocking into new scene locations are well constructed and versatile. Certain cubes also contain video monitors that at times convey written information and at others might become a prop like an ATM or microwave oven. The sound design by Born Into Royalty and Alex Clark’s Lighting design, work with the score by Torgo and Whitcomb’s set pieces to, at times, give us an effective simulation of the sensory overload Christopher is experiencing.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time runs through March 17th at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is “Some Kind of Wonderful” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres

Shad Hanley and Monet Sabel Photo by Dan Norman

This isn’t my first production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, I saw the touring production that came through Minneapolis about five or six years ago, but it is undoubtedly the best. The production has an intimacy and organic flow to the narrative that alluded the national touring Company. Certainly it’s filled with the same great music and I’m sure that previous cast was good, but it’s hard to imagine a better Carole King than Monet Sabel. I remember feeling as if the previous production was simply hitting bullet points on a plot outline. The Co-Directors, father and daughter team of Michael and Cat Brindisi, have wiped away all the disjointed story telling I sensed before and have staged a production that lives and breathes. The smooth and thoughtful handling of transitions and the passages of time create a sense of life moving fluidly forward and of a story unfolding like the images on a tapestry rather than simply taking us from A to B on a road map. The show hits right in my pop music sweet spot, while my friends were moshing to Pearl Jam in high school I was listening to my Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and Billboard Top Rock’n’Roll Hits for the years 1957-1961 CD’s. This music is part of my DNA so I was bound to love that aspect of the show particularly knowing the musical side of things would be handled by Chanhassen’s wonderful orchestra under the musical direction of Andy Kust. They sound suburb as always.

But the show is better than the music, it sidesteps the typical criticisms one levels at the Jukebox musical, it tells a story that features music rather than a story that has a million popular songs awkwardly shoehorned in. Sabel’s performance mirrors that sentiment, it is a natural lived in performance that incorporates singing in it’s exploration of the character. The songs work so well because King wrote about her life in her songs, even the early teen targeted songs, spoke to her life, whether she was always conscious of it or not. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” speaks to all of us in a way but it is a specific reflection of her own insecurities, particularly in her relationship with her husband Gerry Goffin, played here by an excellent Shad Hanley. Hanley’s speaking voice sounded a little overtaxed, but thankfully his singing didn’t and his character work was solid. Other standouts in the cast were Shinah Hey and Alan Bach as Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, fellow songwriters and Carole and Gerry’s best friends. They provided perfect little moments of humor without becoming the comic relief, they had their own arc and their relationships with each other and Carole and Gerry felt substantial. The cast members who collectively played The Drifters and The Shirelles were absolutely fantastic and really showed off some nice choreography by Tamara Kangas Erickson. The leads of both groups, John Jamison II for The Drifters and Quinn Lorez for The Shirelles, are hair on the back of the neck raisingly good.

Part of why the show flows so well is how the Directors handle the transitions. There are a lot of scene changes and in many productions it means deadstage time as set pieces are moved on and off. What the Brindisi’s do for many changes is have the lighting change the character move out of one area of the set continuing on with their scene as the set changes behind them. Eliminating the grind to a halt, blacked out stage, with nothing happening while changes are made that can suck the energy from a shows momentum. Other times the set change is as simple and swift as rotating a piano to a different angle, all of these techniques keep the show moving quickly, sweeping us along rather than leaving us waiting in the dark. One of the key things a Director, or two, needs to do to ensure their production feels fluid is to get the scene changes and transitions right and this is one of the best examples I’ve ever seen of doing just that. Part of that success surely goes to Nayna Ramey whose scenic design helped to make those transitions and changes work. I also admired the lighting design by Sue Ellen Berger, which played a role in scene transitions but also contained some fun cues like the starlights that came on over the audience during the song “Up on the Roof”, it was a magical little touch. I also absolutely adored the period costumes from Barbara Portinga including a superfast and crowd pleasing costume change done by Katemarie Andrews as Little Eva as she begins to sing “Locomotion”.

Whether you think you are a Carole King fan or not, I promise you that you are. You will not want to miss catching this show, you’ll be surprised how many songs you know from Goffin and King and their friends Mann & Weil. One of the things that makes Chanhassen unique is the “Dinner” part of the Theatre. It’s not just the famous Chanhassen Chicken, there are many wonderful options and a great selection of beverages including ice cream drinks and delicious desserts. Sometimes dinner theater means a mediocre meal, that is not the case at Chanhassen, the food is as good as the shows, which are terrific. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical runs through September 28th at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in Chanhassen MN. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://chanhassendt.com/beautiful/ and don’t forget they also have two other stages The Fireside theatre which hosts their concert series and Stevie Ray’s Comedy Cabaret.

Wish You Were Here Improv Comedy About Loss and Friendship at Strike Theater in NE Minneapolis

Strike Theater sits in the middle of a long long building that is not filled with other theaters. It’s a massive building on a long dark seemingly deserted street in NE Minneapolis. It doesn’t look like the building a theater should be in, it looks like a place you go to have something welded, like for a trailer or something? Anyway, follow your GPS and don’t second guess it, there’s a sign to assure you that you are in the right place. Once inside you’ll feel like you are in a more familiar space, unless of course you are a welder by trade in which case, this might feel really disorienting to you. But I think that’s a relatively small number of you, most have been to other black box theaters and the site of the the concession area and small theater with chairs lined up in front of a designated performance space or “stage” in theater speak. Chances are if you are at Strike you have come to laugh, and In my experience it’s a good bet you will.

The show I took in tonight is one they have performed before and it’s titled Wish You Were Here. It’s a long form Improv comedy in which on any given night the member of the cast who is dead changes. The structure is that a group of friends have gathered in memory of their departed friend. We get flashbacks of the dead friend sometimes monologuing sometimes interacting with characters. Those alternate with the present gathering, where everyone tries to establish characters of their own while also trying to get a read on the characters their fellow performers are creating. It generally leads to a few moments that don’t go anywhere but more often than not things build upon what has come before and there tend to be some running jokes that work and that everyone can utilize at some point. The problem with improv is that what I saw tonight will be different than what you see Friday or Saturday night. For one, a different member of the cast will be dead, may they rest in peace. So describing specific bits, or characters is fruitless. But the premise and the cast are what make a show like this work. The premise is as good as any others it’s riff with possibilities and has the potential to get into so really black comedy.

The cast is filled with folks you’ve seen in other shows around town at Strike, Phoenix and Huge and many other places and changes somewhat between shows. Ours included the multitalented and family favorite Shanan Custer. Our Dead friend was Madde Gibba, with a hilarious recurring bit of making her friends look right in her eyes as she did things, like eat soup, or pee in the ocean. Also in the cast list are Molly chase, Javier Morillo, Duck Washington, Katy Kessler, Eric Heiberg, Rita Boersma, and Sam Landman. The last is a reminder to always ask who the cast is for each night and always pick the one Sam Landman is in. I didn’t get Landman and it was still a good time with lots of laughs. Odds are in your favor now that you will get Landman and or Duck Washington another favorite. Wish You Were Here runs Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 at Strike Theater for not a lot more information, but to purchase tickets go to https://www.strike.theater/shows.html

On Beckett, Bill Irwin’s One Man Exploration at Guthrie Theater, Fascinating & Funny in Equal Parts

Bill Irwin in the Irish Repertory Theatre production of “On Beckett.” Photo by Craig Schwartz.

On Beckett conceived and performed by Tony Award-winning actor Bill Irwin is a one man touring production playing at the Guthrie of An Irish Repertory Theatre Production by Octopus Theatricals. I love how these little connections happen in life, just yesterday in the mail I received an imported blu-ray of The Saphead which was silent comedian Buster Keaton’s first starring role in a feature film as an actor. Now it isn’t one of Buster’s own films he was simply cast in an adaptation of a hit Broadway play. How is this a connection? Well, what doesn’t get a mention in the show was that Beckett has 13 film and TV directing credits. His first was a short film titled Film which starred Buster Keaton and was released in the US on January 8th 1966, Keaton died on February 1st 1966. It’s also hard not to see an influence in Bill Irwin’s clowning of the great silent comedians like Keaton and Chaplin. While slapstick in nature, Keaton’s humor always had a more philosophical edge as opposed to Chaplins sentimental and political shadings. Which is all just by way of reminding you, faithful readers, that I love silent comedians. Also, that if you share my love, you should be aware that this show had a delightful amount of physical clowning that scratches that itch nicely. But also to show that there is a link between Keatons work and Becketts and that Bill Irwin, is the perfect man to illustrate that connection.

Irwin’s show is a series of readings from Beckett’s work followed by his thoughts and observations on them. What’s interesting is that he reveals as much about the art and craft of acting in his observations as he does about Beckett and his work. Based on tonight’s performance the conclusion is that Beckett is not entirely knowable, the meaning is in the eye of the interpreter. Which is exactly what Irwin explores in his discussion of the pieces he performs and recollections of stagings he’s been a part of. The performances are funny and challenging in the best possible way. The writing is very very dense, strangely I have had little exposure to Beckett’s work. To my knowledge since I began blogging no one has produced one of his plays in town, or if they did it flew under my radar. I’ve read more about Beckett than I’ve read Beckett. It seems from the sample I got tonight, that he is a writer worth having a lifetime relationship with as one does with Shakespeare. A writer that you can find new meaning is with each performance and at different ages. I’m very glad to have had this primer on Beckett from Irwin, he has piqued my curiosity. In addition watching Irwin’s clowning routines was its own some kind of wonderful. What a wonderful evening though much to short at only 80 to 85 minutes, but as the old saying goes leave them wanting more. Well, I for one want more and intend to look for it in the work of Beckett and if I ever get a chance to see Bill Irwin clowning around again, I’ll be front row center, he is a truly gifted physical artist.

The show seems to be very simply presented a black stage and not a lot in the way of set pieces or costumes aside from a podium and a few pairs of baggy pants and some bowler hats. It’s a testament to the skill of everyone involved that it appears so simple because truth be told everything, especially the Lighting design by Michael Gottlieb, is very specific and much more complex than it appears.On Beckett runs through March 24th at the Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2023-2024-season/on-beckett/